An inquest opened yesterday into the death of a baby whose mother was admitted to hospital 18 days after her due date.
Tanya Long, North Strand, Dublin, had attended the Rotunda hospital for the first 24 weeks of her pregnancy in 2005. She then opted for a home birth but returned to the hospital on December 1st when she could not feel any foetal movement 18 days after her expected delivery date.
A heartbeat could not be detected and doctors discovered that her baby, Chuck, had died. Labour was induced and Ms Long gave birth to the stillborn boy four days later.
Dr Michael Geary, master of the Rotunda hospital, told Dublin City Coroner's Court that Ms Long was first seen by the hospital on May 18th, 2005, when she was 14 weeks pregnant. She was given an estimated delivery date of November 13th.
The last out-patient appointment she attended was on July 28th when she was in her 24th week of pregnancy. Dr Geary said the pregnancy was progressing well and there was nothing in Ms Long's records to indicate that she had discussed a home birth.
The hospital does not perform home deliveries but runs a scheme involving hospital delivery and home-based aftercare.
Asked if Ms Long was considered a high- or low-risk patient, Dr Geary said "somewhere in between". She was 36 at that time and expectant mothers were not considered low risk after the age of 35, he said.
Ms Long later changed to the care of independent midwife Katherine Spillane. She returned to the hospital on December 1st because she had not felt any foetal movement on that day.
Dr Geary understood her midwife had detected a foetal heartbeat on the previous day.
The baby's autopsy was conducted by Dr John Gillan, consultant histopathologist at the Rotunda hospital.
He said the baby was 4.548g (10lb) and there was no evidence of malnourishment or infection. He found the placenta's function was impaired and the baby had suffered from hypoxia, a lack of oxygen.
Dr Geary agreed with Ross Maguire, for Ms Spillane, that estimating the delivery date was not an "exact science" and said fewer than half of mothers delivered before their due date.
Earlier, Mr Maguire had sought an adjournment of the inquest to give him more time to examine the pathologist's report but this was "firmly opposed" by Hugh O'Keeffe, for Ms Long.
Mr O'Keeffe told Dublin city coroner Dr Brian Farrell that Ms Long was six months pregnant and the prospect of the inquest was distressing for her. "Any further adjournment would cause more distress," he said.
Dr Farrell adjourned the hearing for mention on May 17th next and expressed his condolences to Mr and Ms Long.
